Sometimes my feelings of becoming a full-time entrepreneur are triggered by a longing for work benefits that I wish I had. More money will always be at the top of the list, but there are lots of other things that I would like. I guess because of my position at work, I do not qualify for many benefits.
1. More vacation – I started off at three weeks, but when I hit my fifth year, I was given an extra week. I think two more weeks of vacation ( a grand total of six weeks) would be lovely.
2. Extended maternity leave – In Barbados, maternity leave (by law) is three months. I would extend that to up to one year (maybe with reduced pay, but your job remains in tact). I believe that that first year of a child’s life should be spent with its mother.
3. Child-care facilities at work – This would be a miracle for working mothers who find it hard to get their children to and from day care by specific times.
4. Shorter work hours – I think that I work too many hours. Reduced hours with slightly reduced pay (the same pay might be a stretch) would be nice.
5. Better health plans – Health plans are reasonable (especially if your company pays for it), but the deductibles need to be reduced or removed completely.
6. Company car with gas allowance – I don’t have a car and this would save me from having to buy one.
7. Housing allowance – This would be perfect if I lived in one end of the island and worked in another end. (I know… Barbados is not that big, but it would still be nice.)
8. Travel allowance – One trip per year would be nice. Some companies pay $1000 plus in travel/ vacation allowances in addition to paid vacation.
10. Health and wellness allowance – My best friend gets a health and wellness allowance from her workplace which allows her to go to any gym of her choice.
11. Education benefits – It would be nice to work for a company that is willing to spend money on my education with no strings attached.
None of these work benefits will directly benefit my employer. However, they would cause me to be a much happier person which would increase my productivity. In that way, everybody wins!
If I could get at least three of these, I would be contented. If I had to choose right now, my top three would be shorter work hours, education benefits and a travel allowance.